A New Ash
by chibidragonlesserd
Summary: Oak decides to give Ash a different pokemon as his starter. How will this affect his journey? Let's just roll with it! (He he! I made a funny!)
1. Chapter 1

"Yes I am Ash, and now that I'm ten I can finally get my Pokemon License. I will journey to gain the wisdom of pokemon training, and I hereby declare to the pokemon of the world I will be a pokemon master. Pokemon master! That is what I'll-" Ash's speech was interrupted by the his mom yelling for him to go to bed.

"But I can't sleep…" Ash pouted, "I'm too excited."

"Well if you can't sleep you could at least get ready for tomorrow," Delia flipped to Oak's Pokemon channel, "Here watch this."

That night Ash wondered which pokemon he would choose; in fact he thought the question out in his sleep which caused him to throw his clock into the wall, smashing it into a million pieces.

When he awoke he was shocked to find how late it was and rushed to Oak's, "Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, anyone's fine. Just please save one for me!" He yelled as he ran across the street in his pj's.

Ash's rush soon came to a screeching halt as he crashed into the infamous Gary Oak.

"Hey, watch where you're going! Well, you must be Ash. Better late than never I guess. At least you get the chance to meet me!"

Ash knew about Gary. He was the top of the class next door to him. He had quite the reputation for being the best in anything pokemon, and for being Prof. Oak's only grandson. Plus, he was twelve, two years older, because Gary wanted to be "better prepared to understand the wonders that are pokemon." Unlike Ash, who was known for sleeping in most classes that didn't have to do with battling.

After a moment that Ash himself requested I don't mention, although I was given permission to say that from that point on Ash and Gary were rivals, Oak decided to come down to take Ash up to his lab.

"So you decided to show up after all." Oak took Ash up to his lab, and deciding to teach Ash a lesson about punctuality, showed him the pokemon he could have gotten.

"All the pokemon are gone?" Ash was on the verge of tears.

"Well there is still one left, but he's a"

"Professor, I'll take it!"

"I think I should warn you, he is a bit too enthusiastic, and has abandonment problems and… Well why don't you find out?"

Ash opened up the black and yellow pokeball, that if Ash was paying attention in class that day he would have identified it as an ultraball.

The yellow mouse pokemon uncurled from his pokeball and clung to Ash's leg.

"It's name is Sandshrew."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah! It's so cute. He's the best of all!"

"I do have to warn you," Oak stated, "This Sandshrew was abandoned, and will probably be very clingy and refuse to go back in the pokeball, since he was simply thrown out in it… Oh and don't ever try to remove the claw tied around his neck, it was the only thing his trainer gave him."

"Okay! I'll get going!" Ash picked up Sandshrew and placed him on his shoulder.

"Take this first, your pokedex and pokeballs."

"Thank you professor!" Ash took the devices and dashed out of the lab.

Soon Ash was on his journey.

"Hey Ash!" cried the voice of a young girl.

"Gah!" Ash yelled as the pidgey he was about to battle flew off.

"Sorry…" the girl smiled.

"It's okay Clover, so why are you out here?"

"Well, Gary, as always wanted me to travel with him on my pokemon journey, you know big-cousin. But I knew that he would be too focused on his pokemon to worry about me… And he always wants to correct me! And so since you're my best friend, I was hoping I could travel with you!" Clover finally took a breath.

"Sure…" Ash smiled, "But first I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

"Okay!" she threw her pokeball, "Go Flower!"

"Bulbasaur!" the pokemon stood ready.

"Sandshrew!" Ash's pokemon leaped from his shoulder almost crashing into Flower, the bulbasaur, and Clover.

"Use vine whip!"

Before Ash could utter a command Sandshrew dodged the attack.

"Um… Use rollout!"

Sandshrew rolled into Flower a total of three times before Clover gave the order, "Now! Sleep powder!"

Sandshrew got a lung full of the silvery dust and fell asleep in mid-roll.

"Well, that ended faster than expected…"

"Don't worry," Clover said, "I had the type advantage. Grass usually beats ground."


	3. Chapter 3

The two traveled through route one and through Viridian City in a snap. The only problem was that they had yet to catch any pokemon.

"Why didn't we catch anything on route one?" Ash whined, "I really wanted a pidgey!"

"It was your choice," Clover stated as they walked through Viridian Forest, "You just changed your mind when I told you the first gym is a rock type…And that pidgey would get crushed."

"Well I can't face him with only one pokemon…" Ash groaned.

"How about we separate for now and we each look for a pokemon? Sound good? Meet you in Pewter."

"Okay!" Ash perked up and dashed through the woods, with poor Sandshrew clinging onto him for dear life.

"Okay, pant, I think we can take, pant, a break!"

Soon a worm pokemon crawled across Ash's field of vision, "Weedle. The stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts." Ash's pokedex stated.

"Wow a Weedle! Sandshrew, use scratch!"

Sandshrew, excited, rolled off Ash's shoulder and crashed into the Weedle.

"I said scratch… Not tackle…" Ash mumbled, but seeing that Weedle was weakened by the crash, he tossed a pokeball and captured the young pokemon, "Oh, well. We caught our first pokemon!" Ash held the pokeball in the air only to have it snatched out of his hand by an angry beedrill.

"No! That's my Weedle! Sandshrew use swift on beedrill to get Weedle back!"

Sandshrew managed to knock the pokeball out of beedrill's needles.

"Great!" Ash snatch up the pokeball, but saw the rest of the beedrill's swarm coming, "Come on Sandshrew! He picked up his partner and made a mad dash deeper into the forest.

After running until his legs burned the forest was too thick for the beedrill to follow.

"We're safe…" Ash pants, "Let's take a look at Weedle."

"Wee!" The worm shrieked as he jumps out of the pokeball.

"Calm down buddy," Ash smiled, "You're with us now."

"Sandshrew…"

"What's that?"

Sandshrew pointed to each direction, confused.

"Oh… We're lost…" Weedle's stomach gurgled, "And hungry… Hey! Weedle, do you know your way around this forest?" Ash dug through his bag and brought out a can of pokechow.

Weedle nodded.

"Here you go," Ash passed out a handful of food to each of his pokemon, "Now, can you lead us to the Pewter City exit?"

Weedle, after he finished munching on his food, nodded and took off, leading Ash and Sandshrew out.

"The exit!" Ash shouted at the sight of the field beyond the forest, "Thank you, Weedle! You saved us!"

Ash was almost at the exit when a lone beedrill appeared in front of him.

"I'm sorry beedrill but Weedle's with us now!" He jumped in front of Weedle as the beedrill approached him.

"Sandshrew!" he jumped in front of Ash.

"Bee bee, bee- drill!" Tears were in the beedrill's red eyes and the pokemon looked about ready to have a fit.

"Oh… I get it…" Ash looked from Beedrill to Weedle, "You're Weedle's mother…" Ash crouched down to Weedle, "Weedle, I'm letting you decide. Do you want to travel with me and Sandshrew or do you want to be with your mother?"

"Weedle!" he leaped on top of Ash's shoulder.

"See, he wants to leave!" Ash yelled, "You can't keep him here!"

Beedrill at this statement took offence and was about to use her Twin Needle attack on Ash, when Weedle jumped up in front of his own mother.

"Weedle!" he yelled as he evolved into Kakuna in mid-leap.

"Bee?!" The beedrill looked at her son in surprise.

"Kak! Kakuna, kak kak!" He replied.

"Bee…" The mother beedrill sighed and flew off.

"Weedle! I mean Kakuna! You are so cool! You evolved just to be with me?"

"Kak!"

"You're great!" Ash hugged his newly evolved Kakuna.

"Ash!" Clover yelled from behind, "How did you get here so fast?"

"A little help from my new friend Kakuna!" Ash grinned.

"Cool!" Clover pulled out a pokeball, "Come on out Flutter!"

"Caterpie!" the young caterpie crawled up Clover's leg.

"Anyway, the first gym is just around the corner!" Clover pulled Flutter up to sit on her head.

"Oh yeah!" Ash returned Kakuna, put Sandshrew on his shoulder and ran to Pewter City.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey… Sorry if the rest of the story's style is off. I started __A New Ash__ with low expectations of continuing. This story actually sat on my laptop for a long while before I mustered the courage to post what I had. By the time I did post it, my style had improved. (At least, I think it has) Anyway, enjoy a new chapter._

Ash stood at the entrance of the gym groaning. Life just wasn't fair for him, was it? The gym just had to be closed for the day.

"Don't worry, Ash!" Clover pulled Ash away from the darkened doors, "I know something we could do in the meantime!"

"What?" Ash perked up.

Clover grabbed her bag and rummaged through her supplies before pulling out a small package labeled, "Old Rod."

"We're going fishing!" Clover grinned.

"But where can we fish in Pewter?" Ash looked around the city.

"My brother, Erik, has this cottage right outside of town," Clover snapped together the Old Rod, "It's hidden so nobody, save for a few, know about it!"

"Hmm… What do you think, Sandshrew?"

Sandshrew shook his head. He had heard about water before, and he didn't like it one bit; too wet for him.

"Aww, why not?" Ash whined.

"Ash, Sandshrew is a ground type. Of course he doesn't like the idea of water!"

"Oh, why's that?" Ash still did not get the idea of type advantage.

"Gee, did you even open the textbook in class?" Clover chuckled.

"Yeah!" Ash steamed, "I just have trouble remembering types!"

"No need to get grouchy about it," Clover pointed the rod west, "Let's get going!"

Ash dipped the Old Rod in the water, yawning as he watched the bobber float up and down. Perhaps fishing wasn't for him.

Meanwhile, Clover and Sandshrew were peeking into the locked cottage's windows.

"If we could get in," Clover sighed, "We could snatch Erik's Super Rod."

"What does it matter?" Ash yawned, "It's not like I'm getting any bites with this rod."

"But the Super Rod attracts stronger pokemon!" Clover insisted, "With that rod you can only catch a wild-"

"Hey!" Ash shouted, "I got something! It's a- It's a- Magikarp?"

"Like I was about to say," Clover chastised him, "You can only catch Magikarp with the Old Rod."

"So what do I do now?" Ash stared at the flopping fish try to wriggle back into the water.

Clover shrugged, "Catch her. Magikarp may be tough to train at first, but they can be pretty useful."

Ash tossed a spare pokeball at the squirming figure before picking it up.

"Look Sandshrew," Ash turned to show his pokemon, only to find him missing, "Sandshrew?"


	5. Chapter 5

Sandshrew didn't like water. He didn't even like to think about it. That's why when that Magikarp came splashing out of the pond he ran. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but it had to be better than the water.

Sandshrew scurried behind the cottage and into the nearby woods. At least there he wouldn't get wet. Suddenly it hit the yellow mouse exactly what he was doing. He was running away again. Maybe this is why- no, he refused to think of that.

Sandshrew sucked in a large breath and turned back. He was not going to fail his new trainer. There was only a slight problem with his plan. He was lost, again.

Panic seized the mouse as he turned from tree to tree; all of them looked the same! There was no way he was getting out of this one!

Sandshrew did the only thing he could, he ran. He ran as far and as fast as his legs could carry him until his ears picked out the cry of a trainer.

"Now use Hyper Beam!" The voice shouted.

This was it! Sandshrew dashed toward the voice. He was saved!

Sandshrew ran right in between two giants, one a Blastoise and the other a Dragonite. Whoever this trainer was, he was strong!

Before he knew what hit him, Sandshrew's side was clipped by a lone Hyper Beam…


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter is where this story earns its teen rating. For my readers who are squeamish, I advise you skip this one section. Don't worry. I'll point it out an explain what happened in less detail. _

Ash was more than scared; he was downright terrified. His first and only able bodied pokemon was missing, and after over an hour of calling his name had yet to come back.

Was he really that bad a trainer? 'No' Ash thought. He wasn't that bad. Perhaps he had trouble remembering pokemon types, but that didn't make him a bad trainer. Already he had three pokemon and one had even evolved.

Ash stood up. He was sick of waiting. He was going into those woods to find his friend, even if it killed him!

"Ash, no!" Clover jumped in front of him, "You can't go in there!"

"And why not?" Ash glared. He was serious now.

"It'd be suicide! Magikarp can't fight until she evolves and same thing with Kakuna!"

"I don't care. Let me pass."

"Stay here," Clover begged, "I'll go in."

"No!" Ash shoved her away, "He's my pokemon. I'm going to find him!"

Ash ran deep into the woods until the shadows of the trees covered more ground that the light from above.

It was getting dark, not a good sign, for everyone knew that more dangerous pokemon came out at night. Now worried for his safety Ash released Kakuna.

"Kakuna?" Ash held onto his yellow cocoon pokemon.

"Kak," Kakina yelled reassuringly.

"I'm going to want you to use harden," Ash gripped his pokemon, "If anything bad happens you're going to need to fight."

Kakuna's shell grew harder in Ash's grip before a wild rattata lunged at them!

"Gah!" Ash stuck out his harden-reinforced pokemon to shield him from the rattata's bite, "Ready to fight Kakuna?" Ash raised Kakuna in the air, slamming it into the large rat's head.

_For anybody who does not like blood or anything medical related, it is advised you skip the rest of this chapter. Due to how the events are very important to the story, however, I'm leaving some spoilers. _

_*Spoiler Alert!* Clover, after she is pushed, is left alone at the cabin. Hoping Erik finds Ash and Sandshrew, her wish is somewhat granted. Erik teleports to the cabin with his Alakazam beside him and a passed out Sandshrew in his arms. Clover at first is happy to see her brother until she sees that Sandshrew's paw has been blasted off from a hyper beam. For the rest of the chapter Erik and Clover scramble around Erik's cabin healing Sandshrew. That's it! It seems Ash's life just keeps getting harder and harder, doesn't it? Well, until next time squeamish ones! (Don't worry; the next chapter is intense but not bloody.) _

Clover tried to follow Ash after he pushed her, but by the time she got up he was already out of sight. Clover stared at the thick woods behind the cottage. She knew she wouldn't be able to find Ash. She herself had gotten lost in the same forest many times as a child.

But she had to do something! Clover couldn't just sit here as her best friend was practically defenseless in the dark. Maybe Erik found him? Clover crossed her fingers. It was probably Ash's only hope.

A flash of light right in front of her distracted Clover from her worries. It was Erik and his Alakazam! Clover was ready to run up to him and tell Erik of Ash when she saw him.

Erik stood pale faced, his dark hair deeply contrasting with his skin. This did not surprise Clover, though; Erik had always looked like that. It was all of the blood that truly frightened her! Smeared across his chest and on the side of his face was blood!

At first Clover believed it was her brother's but as she approached she saw the small creature curled unto Erik's arm. Clover paled. This was not good, not good at all. Sandshrew lay passed out in Erik's arm, its right paw missing.

"Psychic!" Erik pointed at the locked door to his cabin; there wasn't enough time to mess with locks.

Alakazam blasted the door from its hinges and Erik rushed inside. He laid the pokemon on the table and ran furiously to the bathroom cabinet.

Meanwhile Clover ran inside the cabin and took in the situation. Sandshrew just lost his right paw. There wasn't much that could be done about the paw, but if Sandshrew didn't stop bleeding he could die! Digging through the kitchen cabinets, Clover pulled out as many cloths as she could find. She rolled up her sleeves and applied pressure to the severed paw.

Erik returned to the scene arms loaded with berries and herbs. He noted that Clover was helping him as he tossed down the pile of berries onto the table. Now that the Sandshrew's arm wasn't bleeding as badly he could start attempting to seal the wound.

"Alakazam," Erik summoned his pokemon to his side, "Help Clover, and attempt to use recover on that Sandshrew's arm."

The psychic pokemon nodded and got to work on helping Clover. Erik opened his kitchen cupboard and pulled out a pestle and mortar. Snatching a couple sitrus berries, Erik began to get to work on making Sandshrew a healing balm.


End file.
